[ It hadn't been the first or most important thing on his mind considering... everything else, but now that his initial hurricane of emotions has been wrangled somewhat, he's managed to process the rest of that eventful day. ]
[ And it's leaving him unsure, too. ]
[ It's not like he particularly likes Hijikata, he definitely doesn't think he's a good cop, but during the weeks spent catfishing him he did, in fact, find out that he wasn't some sort of an evil or genuinely terrible person. And maybe Sonia was right, maybe he did "lead him on" more than he strictly needed to for information that he didn't have much of in the first place. It had been fun, and he'd wanted to see how much he could push it, and he really thought he'd have figured it out in a month or two. ]
[ But no. Apparently, Katsura has still underestimated the sheer denseness of the Shinsengumi, which shouldn't be a shock considering they haven't managed to catch him despite it being basically their only job, but somehow still is. No, instead the guy is infatuated with Zurako. Which would maybe make him feel a little bad, but ultimately be harmless. Unfortunately, there's also a very tangible consequence. ]
[ Hijikata got fired. And he's apparently been giving his all to this job for years, worked hard to get it, and being the workaholic that he was it was probably his whole life here, too. He was being investigated during all the while Katsura did his community service, and of course it ended with the obvious. ]
[ So maybe it was a little fun to string him along. Maybe it was nice to find out that Gintoki's hunch at least wasn't entirely wrong about these guys. Maybe Katsura actually... had fun hanging out with him, at least until the mayonnaise came out. ]
[ Making him lose it all wasn't really part of the plan, though. ]
[ And so, here he is again. Getting eaten at by a new helping of guilt and doubt. Hello 4AM, his old friend. And just as it seems to be becoming a pattern, he stares at Gintoki, trying to will him awake. ]
[ Why is it always 4 AM? That's like the worst hour of the night to wake up! It's almost too late to go back to sleep, depending on how much the problem you need to attend you wakes you up. Pick a better time for your crises, Zura!
Maybe eventually Gintoki will be more used to waking up and finding himself face to face with those eyes, but that is not this day. His brain signals that something is off, he frowns and sighs and gives a quiet grunt of protest, and then opens his eyes--
And immediately jerks back, raising a hand to put something between himself and a potential threat, before he registers who it is the next moment. And he lets his hand flop back down with a groan, then turns to bury his face in the pillow. ]
[ Would he prefer the slot gets moved to 2AM, 3AM or 5AM? It can probably be done, as long as it sounds similarly funny. ]
[ Katsura blinks as Gintoki reacts, predictably, with discontent and seems insistent to attempt continuing sleeping. He knows that he's awake now, though, which means he doesn't need to worry about disturbing him. (Because he already did, but shh.) ]
[ He stays still for a bit, contemplating simply rolling over and giving up on it for now. There's no reason this can't wait until morning. Or forever, really. ]
[ But he's gotten this far, so he has to try at least one more time. ]
[ The longer he's awake, the more likely it is he won't be able to just go right back to sleep, and if there's even the slightest chance Zura will just keep repeating his name--
[ There we go. Now try that with a smile-- haha no it's very fair to be annoyed about being awake at night, but since Zura technically didn't wake him, he claims no responsibility over this. ]
...Remember when I snuck into the police station to look at the files and they made me clean up the park and the beach?
[ Completely oblivious to the projected annoyance, he carries on serenely-- ]
I had to use someone's key card to get in, of course. [ Pause... You can probably guess who it belonged to! But rather than confirm that, he's quiet for a moment before continuing. ] Hijikata-san got fired. He seemed to care a lot about his job.
[ He doesn't even notice that he's swapped out the usual -dono for the way Zurako usually addressed Hijikata. Maybe he did end up finding some semblance of fondness for him during that whole stunt... ]
Didn't this happen like two months ago? Why is it suddenly bothering you now?
[ He scrubs a hand over his face, and turns over on his side again, his back towards Zura. ]
Technically I guess it is, but the Shinsengumi are all terrible cops anyway. They just happen to have connections in Edo that'll keep them from getting tossed on their asses for all the shit they pull. No wonder he gets fired in a place that doesn't have Kondou and ... whatever that old guy's name is.
It bothered me then, too. But my focus was on other things.
[ So he got a little sidetracked! What with the festivals and the quests and the moving into a new house AND DISCOVERING HE HAS A CRUSH ON GINTOKI which he will not mention. ]
Matsudaira-dono. [ Supplies helpfully. It seems at his canonpoint he already had his Ezurako run. ] Yes, I suppose you are right. They're thugs in uniform in all but name. Nevertheless, he was the only one in the NCPD so far who was sympathetic to my concerns.
[ Without being aware those were his concerns, of course. And there's also the possibility he would have been "sympathetic" to just about anything Zurako said anyway, but... he wants to believe. ]
[ With a quiet, long-suffering sigh, he closes his eyes again. ]
Yeah, obviously. Part of what makes them terrible cops is that they hate just sitting quietly by when bad things happen, no matter what the brass says. They'd rather blast in their with bazookas and call it a good day's work. They don't know what 'finesse' means.
Without the Bakufu backing, they would probably go bankrupt from all the property damage settlements. But perhaps they are better suited for a vigilante role, all things considered. They would be able to act when they believe it to be the right thing to do, rather than heel whenever ordered by their kennel owner.
[ Speaking of which... ]
Hijikata-dono appeared fairly receptive to this idea even before he was let go from the police. Perhaps if I give him a little push... steer him in the right direction with a gentle hand...
[ Zurako still has her claws in him by some miracle, after all. ]
[ Wait, wasn't he just feeling bad about the whole catfishing thing and its consequences? Now he wants to do more?! ]
[ He turns his head back forward just so that he doesn't strain his neck, and thinks about rolling over again but decides that's too much hassle. Zura can talk to his back. ]
I didn't say that. I said it was technically your fault but that he's also a bad cop so it's not all your fault. That doesn't mean you should go dress up and make him dance to your music again. If he wants to do something, he'll do it on his own.
[ The huff that follows almost sounds a little petulant. Gintoki really does see a lot more sides to him than most people, huh? Too bad a lot of them are kind of ugly, but isn't that what true friendship is about. ]
He would do it faster if he got a little push! The sooner we sort this world out, the sooner we get to go home, right?
[ That doesn't deserve a response, so he just jabs an elbow back. As far as he can because he's not sure how close Zura is, and he doesn't care what he manages to hit so long as he hits something. ]
[ It hits him... somewhere. Probably around the solar plexus or something, assuming Gintoki swings his arm far enough back since there's a little more distance between them as usual. ]
I see. [ Why does he sound excited? Did that elbow hit him right in the M switch or did he just decide that this means Gintoki is jealous over him and wants to keep him and all his attention to himself? ] Very well. I shall refrain from engaging him in this manner again.
[ Taking initiative sure is attractive, isn't it-- ]
[ At... least he seems to be back to "normal" (for him)? ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
action; backdated to december
[ It hadn't been the first or most important thing on his mind considering... everything else, but now that his initial hurricane of emotions has been wrangled somewhat, he's managed to process the rest of that eventful day. ]
[ And it's leaving him unsure, too. ]
[ It's not like he particularly likes Hijikata, he definitely doesn't think he's a good cop, but during the weeks spent catfishing him he did, in fact, find out that he wasn't some sort of an evil or genuinely terrible person. And maybe Sonia was right, maybe he did "lead him on" more than he strictly needed to for information that he didn't have much of in the first place. It had been fun, and he'd wanted to see how much he could push it, and he really thought he'd have figured it out in a month or two. ]
[ But no. Apparently, Katsura has still underestimated the sheer denseness of the Shinsengumi, which shouldn't be a shock considering they haven't managed to catch him despite it being basically their only job, but somehow still is. No, instead the guy is infatuated with Zurako. Which would maybe make him feel a little bad, but ultimately be harmless. Unfortunately, there's also a very tangible consequence. ]
[ Hijikata got fired. And he's apparently been giving his all to this job for years, worked hard to get it, and being the workaholic that he was it was probably his whole life here, too. He was being investigated during all the while Katsura did his community service, and of course it ended with the obvious. ]
[ So maybe it was a little fun to string him along. Maybe it was nice to find out that Gintoki's hunch at least wasn't entirely wrong about these guys. Maybe Katsura actually... had fun hanging out with him, at least until the mayonnaise came out. ]
[ Making him lose it all wasn't really part of the plan, though. ]
[ And so, here he is again. Getting eaten at by a new helping of guilt and doubt. Hello 4AM, his old friend. And just as it seems to be becoming a pattern, he stares at Gintoki, trying to will him awake. ]
no subject
Maybe eventually Gintoki will be more used to waking up and finding himself face to face with those eyes, but that is not this day. His brain signals that something is off, he frowns and sighs and gives a quiet grunt of protest, and then opens his eyes--
And immediately jerks back, raising a hand to put something between himself and a potential threat, before he registers who it is the next moment. And he lets his hand flop back down with a groan, then turns to bury his face in the pillow. ]
no subject
It can probably be done, as long as it sounds similarly funny.][ Katsura blinks as Gintoki reacts, predictably, with discontent and seems insistent to attempt continuing sleeping. He knows that he's awake now, though, which means he doesn't need to worry about disturbing him. (Because he already did, but shh.) ]
Gintoki.
no subject
He just groans in protest. It sounds vaguely like leave me alone. ]
no subject
[ He stays still for a bit, contemplating simply rolling over and giving up on it for now. There's no reason this can't wait until morning. Or forever, really. ]
[ But he's gotten this far, so he has to try at least one more time. ]
Gintoki.
[ More insistently. ]
no subject
Is it worth trying to ignore him? Not really.
So he rolls angrily onto his back. ]
What?
no subject
...Remember when I snuck into the police station to look at the files and they made me clean up the park and the beach?
no subject
[ How could he possibly forget? Just get to the point! ]
no subject
I had to use someone's key card to get in, of course. [ Pause... You can probably guess who it belonged to! But rather than confirm that, he's quiet for a moment before continuing. ] Hijikata-san got fired. He seemed to care a lot about his job.
[ He doesn't even notice that he's swapped out the usual -dono for the way Zurako usually addressed Hijikata. Maybe he did end up finding some semblance of fondness for him during that whole stunt... ]
Do you think that was my fault?
no subject
stares at the ceiling for several seconds ]
Didn't this happen like two months ago? Why is it suddenly bothering you now?
[ He scrubs a hand over his face, and turns over on his side again, his back towards Zura. ]
Technically I guess it is, but the Shinsengumi are all terrible cops anyway. They just happen to have connections in Edo that'll keep them from getting tossed on their asses for all the shit they pull. No wonder he gets fired in a place that doesn't have Kondou and ... whatever that old guy's name is.
no subject
It bothered me then, too. But my focus was on other things.
[ So he got a little sidetracked! What with the festivals and the quests and the moving into a new house AND DISCOVERING HE HAS A CRUSH ON GINTOKI which he will not mention. ]
Matsudaira-dono. [ Supplies helpfully. It seems at his canonpoint he already had his Ezurako run. ] Yes, I suppose you are right. They're thugs in uniform in all but name. Nevertheless, he was the only one in the NCPD so far who was sympathetic to my concerns.
[ Without being aware those were his concerns, of course. And there's also the possibility he would have been "sympathetic" to just about anything Zurako said anyway, but... he wants to believe. ]
no subject
Yeah, obviously. Part of what makes them terrible cops is that they hate just sitting quietly by when bad things happen, no matter what the brass says. They'd rather blast in their with bazookas and call it a good day's work. They don't know what 'finesse' means.
no subject
Without the Bakufu backing, they would probably go bankrupt from all the property damage settlements. But perhaps they are better suited for a vigilante role, all things considered. They would be able to act when they believe it to be the right thing to do, rather than heel whenever ordered by their kennel owner.
[ Speaking of which... ]
Hijikata-dono appeared fairly receptive to this idea even before he was let go from the police. Perhaps if I give him a little push... steer him in the right direction with a gentle hand...
[ Zurako still has her claws in him by some miracle, after all. ]
[ Wait, wasn't he just feeling bad about the whole catfishing thing and its consequences? Now he wants to do more?! ]
no subject
Are you hatching another plan to play him? Give it up already. Haven't you done enough?
no subject
Oh. I thought you said I had done nothing wrong.
[ THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU ASKED ZURAAA ]
no subject
I didn't say that. I said it was technically your fault but that he's also a bad cop so it's not all your fault. That doesn't mean you should go dress up and make him dance to your music again. If he wants to do something, he'll do it on his own.
no subject
[ The huff that follows almost sounds a little petulant. Gintoki really does see a lot more sides to him than most people, huh? Too bad a lot of them are kind of ugly, but isn't that what true friendship is about. ]
He would do it faster if he got a little push! The sooner we sort this world out, the sooner we get to go home, right?
no subject
Nothing stops you from introducing yourself to him and pushing him as good ol' Zura. What's he gonna do, arrest you?
no subject
[ Zura's rolling his eyes in the dark, deflating slightly with a sigh. ]
Or stab me. Or run me over with a car. Or leave me stranded somewhere to die.
[ Weren't most of those Sougo's doing, though-- ]
Or just not listen to a word I say. In case you haven't noticed, Gintoki, we do not exactly have a conversational relationship.
no subject
So just leave him alone then.
[ Problem solved. ]
1/2
2/2
[ Somehow it almost sounds more hopeful than confrontational: ]
You really think I should stop seeing him, huh?
[ What in the delusion is this... ]
no subject
no subject
[ It hits him... somewhere. Probably around the solar plexus or something, assuming Gintoki swings his arm far enough back since there's a little more distance between them as usual. ]
I see. [ Why does he sound excited? Did that elbow hit him right in the M switch or did he just decide that this means Gintoki is jealous over him and wants to keep him and all his attention to himself? ] Very well. I shall refrain from engaging him in this manner again.
[ Taking initiative sure is attractive, isn't it-- ]
[ At... least he seems to be back to "normal" (for him)? ]
no subject
...
Yeah, that's what this is. Just some kind of annoying delusion that'll be gone in the morning. He's way too tired to spiral about it anyway. ]
Great. Now shut up and sleep.
wrap?
yeee